UPDATE: As of November 6th, we are stoked to announce that Washingtonians voted NO on 2117, defeating this attempt to repeal critical climate legislation!
With the passage of S.B. 5126: the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) in 2021, Washington became the second state to create a comprehensive cap-and-invest program for large polluters, building off California's model by limiting the role of offsets and requiring robust air quality and environmental justice provisions.
The CCA has already invested $2 billion in Washington's communities. The legislature directs funds generated by selling carbon allowances toward various climate mitigation and adaptation programs. Like many climate policies, cap-and-invest is a complex program with numerous levers and mechanisms to control the amount of money that polluters pay to offset or exchange their emissions. In short, it taxes our state's largest polluters per ton of CO2, then uses that money to ensure our state is preparing for climate change and reducing its emissions.
It's not controversial to believe that if your industry is responsible for creating air pollution or emitting greenhouse gases, you should be on the hook to foot the bill to clean up and reduce the impacts of those emissions.
In Washington State, any voter can get an initiative on the November ballot by collecting 324,516 signatures (based on the number of votes cast for the office of Governor at the last regular state gubernatorial election). This can be done on a grassroots level or it can be sponsored by individuals with vast resources to pay signature gatherers to canvas our state for signatures to fund their ideological agendas. Brian Heywood is a hedge fund owner who moved to WA in 2010 and has spent $6-7 million of his own money to get a number of harmful initiatives, including i2117, on the ballot this November (to learn more about the other initiatives, check out Defend Washington's resources).
If Initiative 2117 passes, it would end protections for our air, water, forests, and farmland while devastating our transportation and infrastructure programs by taking away billions in funding, jeopardizing efforts to fix roads and bridges and reducing traffic congestion.
It would allow more toxic air pollution and wildfires and would result in more kids and seniors suffering from asthma and heart conditions in Washington.
It would threaten our drinking water sources and harm coastal water quality throughout the Salish Sea. It will end programs that protect salmon and restore vital habitat. It will cut programs that are currently working to improve coastal resilience and address issues like ocean acidification, tsunami hazards, coastal erosion, and blue carbon.
See projects that would be impacted by a loss in funding.
If you’re reading this blog, chances are that you are concerned with the mounting effects that rising seas and changing climate are having on our communities. If 2117 passes, it will drastically limit our state's ability to respond to these threats.
Say No to 2117 is an unprecedented and growing statewide coalition of over 500 organizations including firefighting groups, medical and health professionals, environmental organizations, small businesses, labor unions, Tribes, and more. Head to their website to find ways you can take action to ensure our state doesn't go backward in our collective efforts to deal with climate change - from phone banking to door-knocking to help educate voters about how this ballot will harm all Washingtonians.
Want to do more? VOTE, Tell your friends to vote, share your perspective about climate change, clean air and not letting big business off the hook. You can check your voter registration status on VoteWA.org, and for non-partisan explanations of what's on your ballot, head to Ballotpepdia.org.
Talk to ten friends, ask them to talk to 10 of theirs, and pass it on!